Decision : CONF 208 X.A
Historic Centre of Guimarães (Portugal)

The Committee inscribed the Historic Centre of Guimarães on the World Heritage List under criteria (ii), (iii), and (iv):

Criterion (ii): Guimarães is of considerable universal significance by virtue of the fact that specialized building techniques developed there in the Middle Ages were transmitted to Portuguese colonies in Africa and the New World, becoming their characteristic feature.

Criterion (iii): The early history of Guimarães is closely associated with the establishment of Portuguese national identity and the Portuguese language in the 12th century.

Criterion (iv): An exceptionally well preserved town, Guimarães illustrates the evolution of particular building types from the medieval settlement to the present-day city, and particularly in the 15th-19th centuries.

Several delegates noted apparent inconsistencies in the ICOMOS evaluation report that were clarified.